Earn Extra Money Through Surveys & Reward Programs

And a little info now for my readers on how to make a little extra holiday cash:

Before I started blogging last year, I'd spend at least 30 minutes at nighttime to take a few surveys. I loved being able to bring in a little extra money while still being able to stay home with my Son.

I've been wanting to get together a list of "legit" Survey companies for you all, in case you are interested in that same path.

Before you start taking surveys, here are a few important things to remember:

1) You'll definitely want to set up a separate email account just for surveys. A lot of the companies offer you $ for simply just reading emails, which can accumulate to 3-6 per day per company. This will also prevent your personal account from becoming bombarded.

2) You won't "get rich fast" with any of them. They take time to reach the designated payouts that some companies require. You'll need to definitely practice a little patience, but it's so worth it when the checks show up!

3) Different companies offer different rewards. Some only payout with gift cards. Others you'll have to reach a designated threshold before you get your money. Others pay out in freebies. And you might get lucky enough to find some that payout in a little of everything!

4) Always make sure a company is "legit." Ask around or look for those posted as recommendations from bloggers you trust. But always follow the rule of "Use Your Best Judgment" or "If It Sounds Too Good To Be True...It Probably Is!" Never, ever pay a fee to join one!

5) You can use a program such as Roboform HERE that will automatically fill in data for you, saving you time! There's a FREE version that you can download.

6) It may not seem like your surveys are adding up to much so consider putting them in a separate high-interest account, such as one from ING, to watch them grow (and earn interest!) Think of it as your Vacation/Christmas Club!

Here are a few I've tried: (NOTE: Click on their name to get to their site.)

My Survey - This is my all-time favorite one. After I reached my payout amount, I had my check in one week! They also sent me freebies to try and review that weren't even on the Market yet. And whether or not you qualify for a survey, you still got whatever points they promised. They give you 10 points for joining and up to 1500 points per survey. They also have a referral program giving you 150 points for referring a friend

Inbox Dollars - This one was slow to reach payout. But I mostly focused on clicking on emails to read. Once I reached the payout, they did make me wait a set time before they processed the check and in the meantime, I had to keep my account active.

My Points - I didn't get to work with them much because I started blogging right after signing up. But I know of others that like them and earn gift cards through them.

These are other recommended by other bloggers/readers, but I haven't tried:

Ipsos- iSay- You'll get 2-5 survey opportunities a week that earns you points. You can turn those in for gift cards to places such as Applebees, Chilis, Olive Garden, Amazon and Kohls. Each survey you complete also earns you an entry into a $5,000 drawing.

Surveyhead - You can get paid through Paypal. They send out frequent survey opportunities and you'll get a $5 bonus just for signing up.

Opinion Outpost -This one lets you cash out at 50 points ($5) and most surveys are worth 20-30 points.

Survey Spot - Earn up to $5 per survey and you can request payout when you have earned $5.

Dollar Surveys - You get $1 per survey and you get paid out after completely them, rather than waiting to reach a specific threshold.

LightSpeed Research - They offer a lot of surveys. And you can even take the option of being paid in gift cards.

Other Income/Prize Earners:

SwagBucks - Have you heard me gush about them enough? If not, I have to say that I love them! You earn points just for doing your normal searches. Every so often, a box will pop up and you'll have earned a "SwagBuck." There are also Free codes put out every so often or other ways to earn Bucks.

Tryology - You get to try out FREE products in exchange for doing a video review on them.

Nielsen Home Scanner - You scan your purchases, upload them via software they give you and then you cash in points for prizes.

These are just a few out there. There are several more that are a little slower in earning. While these are "legit" companies, you may each have a different experience with them. Some are happy with slowly earning $, while others want to earn faster and find a company is not right for them. The only advice I can give is to sign-up for them and try them out. If they don't work, you can close your account and try another one.

Feel free to share you experiences with these companies, but please...word them nicely, such as listing both pros/cons for them. Thanks!

I'll save this in my left sidebar under "Resources" for future reference and update as I find any more that bloggers/readers enjoy.